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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fun read if that’s ever an apt description of murder. I was excited when NetGalley approved me for an ARC, because I follow author Alexa Dunne on YouTube and I enjoyed her previous novel, Brightly Burning, a YA retelling of Jane Eyre set in space.
The Ivies are high-achieving students at Clafin Academy, an elite New England boarding school. The students have their hearts and minds set on well, the Ivy Leagues. They work hard, but they also feel entitled to a place at the university of their choice -- at any cost.
Our protagonist, Olivia, is a scholarship student who does her best to fit in among her rich and powerful friends, sometimes crossing the line to get what she and her friends want. But is she a helpless victim along for the ride or just as culpable as the rest of the pack?
The characters are well-developed and the pacing good. The author leads you down several paths in which you think you have solved the mystery, only to find you’re on the wrong track. I have mixed feelings about the very ending.
I received this Advanced Reader Copy of The Ivies from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Ivies are high-achieving students at Clafin Academy, an elite New England boarding school. The students have their hearts and minds set on well, the Ivy Leagues. They work hard, but they also feel entitled to a place at the university of their choice -- at any cost.
Our protagonist, Olivia, is a scholarship student who does her best to fit in among her rich and powerful friends, sometimes crossing the line to get what she and her friends want. But is she a helpless victim along for the ride or just as culpable as the rest of the pack?
The characters are well-developed and the pacing good. The author leads you down several paths in which you think you have solved the mystery, only to find you’re on the wrong track. I have mixed feelings about the very ending.
I received this Advanced Reader Copy of The Ivies from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
i pulled an all nighter for what. to watch a white boy cry about how hard life is he literally says "do you know how hard it is being a rich, above average, white guy in college admissions?" bruh what the actual fuck I'm sorry chad...okay so i thought it was gonna be this guy but then it was disappointingly plot twisted to someone else and this book was just average murder mystery who tried to hard to have plot twists smh i was so excited and the boarding school vibes weren't even worth it kms. and Avery playing the victim card bitch stfu ur stupid but the 31st chapter was #girlboss the last chapter was unnecessary also what the fuck is wrong with white guys. 2.5/5
i think i’m back in my gossip girl era because the super elite boarding school really appealed to me.. however, i do feel like the end was a bit unearned. i like it overall but i do not like when books throw the villain in without any hints whatsoever.. but the motive made sense and was unfortunately realistic
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the story really kept my attention! but the reveal was underwhelming and the main character was frustrating. I hated how olivia was angry with everyone for lying and scheming, especially Ethan, but she was just as bad as the others! she was on a high horse the whole time and never self-aware. overall, still pretty good.
As someone who applied to Ivy League schools and attended one, I can say college admissions were intense then and they are probably worse now. From my college friends that went to similar boarding schools, I can attest that sabotaging and breaking friendships over colleges is not unheard of, and maybe even more common than we think. Of course, there wasn't any murder that I heard of. Alexa Donne captured very well the intensity that is college admissions. While you are experiencing them yourself, there is nothing more important that getting the congratulations email. I wanted to just hug the students at this school and tell them that the name of the college isn't worth all of this. Because even though they were fiction characters, I think we all know high school seniors like them that put all their eggs in one basket (or college in this case).
Mysery-wise I think the story was well built. The suspense built up and there was never a second I thought any of the characters were safe. It was a fast-paced story that didn't let you put the book down even for a second. So many twists and turns I didn't see coming.
I appreciated how Alexa Donne acknowledged that these characters were very exaggerated forms of the overachiever Ivy-bound student. I could tell from her writing and references that Alexa Donne has experience with students applying to these types of schools. Her mentions of College Confidential made me break out into sweats from anxiety I did not know I still held for that site even years later. Overall, I think this extreme college admissions story is built in enough reality, but also some absurd drama that will make high school students both relate to the characters, but also see how absurd the college admissions process can be.
Mysery-wise I think the story was well built. The suspense built up and there was never a second I thought any of the characters were safe. It was a fast-paced story that didn't let you put the book down even for a second. So many twists and turns I didn't see coming.
I appreciated how Alexa Donne acknowledged that these characters were very exaggerated forms of the overachiever Ivy-bound student. I could tell from her writing and references that Alexa Donne has experience with students applying to these types of schools. Her mentions of College Confidential made me break out into sweats from anxiety I did not know I still held for that site even years later. Overall, I think this extreme college admissions story is built in enough reality, but also some absurd drama that will make high school students both relate to the characters, but also see how absurd the college admissions process can be.
Never let me add another YA mystery book to my TBR.
It's always teenagers doing the detective work, not talking to the cops and then getting into trouble.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone but someone who really likes ya mystery. This book is just all my pet peeves put into one.
It's always teenagers doing the detective work, not talking to the cops and then getting into trouble.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone but someone who really likes ya mystery. This book is just all my pet peeves put into one.